Creating a media kit

Today’s technological world has changed the way press decides what stories receive coverage. Simple, one page press releases usually aren’t enough to receive coverage for your project.

Receiving press coverage now depends on your ability to create a media kit, which provides detailed information about your in multi-media formats to attract coverage. Effective media packages include information and stories that the press can directly print or minimally modify for publication.

What should a media kit include?

An effective media kid for a non-profit need to newsworthy content and background information about the organization. This includes:

Media Press Release about your event or project which includes the link to your Giving Trail project page.

Photos/Video about your project or about your non-profit and its mission.

Media press releases should be written from a narrative point of view, like journalism. Avoid using “I” or “you” at all in writing.

Paragraphs should be short and concise. In journalism, most paragraphs are 2-3 sentences, and usually no more than 4.

Avoid using cliché phrases.

When possible, include quotes

Layout Style:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Specific Press Contact Information

Specific Press Contact Information

Headline

Location: Lead; a lead is the first paragraph of a news story that grabs the readers attention and tells what the story is about. Leads are an important part to news stories and press releases. (Paragraph gives who/what)

Nutgraph; a nutgraph is the paragraph immediately following leads in news writing. Nutgraphs give vital information to the background of the story or event. This is most often the longest part of the story, usually 3-4 concise sentences (Paragraph gives when/where and sometimes why).

Organization Boilerplate: This section should be a standard paragraph that contains a short, factual overview of the business or organization. The same company information statement can be used in each news release that you publish.

A fact sheet helps the press drill down to the facts quickly. Keep language short and concise. Use bullet points wherever you can. It should include:

Project Name

Link to Giving Trail Project Page

Project Location

Project Date

2-4 Paragraph Description of Project

Organization Mission

Organization Website

Contact Information

If your organization is still accepting donations to the campaign and the link to your project page.

Sending your Media Kit

Media kits are only beneficial if they reach the people that the information is pertinent to. Remember that media contacts are inundated with news releases, so it is vital to be proactive in making sure that yours is seen.

One of the most important ways to make sure that your kit is seen is the email in which it is sent. The email needs to be personalized to the press contact, with their name in it. A good release email is titled with the headline of the press release. In the email, introduce yourself as the press contact and then give the pertinent information regarding the who/what/when/where/why. You can use pieces of writing from the release, but do not copy and paste the all of the release in the email. Give the basic headline and information about the event or story, but also leave the press contact wanting more information they can find in your media package.

Attach all of the media kit to the email in PDF format. For pictures in a media kit, put them into a compressed folder and label that folder "Photos" when you attach it to the email. If you have a video, give the link to the video via YouTube as video files are often too large to attach to emails.

After you have sent your customized media package to your press contact, call them and inform them that you have sent a package to their email. This ensures two points of contact and makes them more likely to view your release.